Fellow, Fintech and Insurtech Innovation

We are Braven, an early-stage investment firm built for breakthroughs within large, regulated sectors, beginning with finance, insurance, and healthcare. We selectively invest in Seed through Series B companies and coordinate the full ecosystem of people and resources needed for each investment’s success. We are a new model of early-stage investing, a hybrid of the best of VC, PE, and consulting in which founders, investors, and partners collaborate in unprecedented ways to build and scale early-stage breakthrough companies. We founded Braven with the conviction that there are large, underserved opportunities to do good in the world while concurrently earning outsized financial returns and exponential impacts on key industries.

As our firm expands, we seek a full-time, paid Fellow to join our Financial Services & Insurance Innovation Unit. In this remote (based in the US) position, you will co-report directly to William Abecassis, our Managing Partner and the former founder of BlackRock's $1B+ venture group and Brad Wilkins, Sr. Partner, Talent and Performance.

In this dynamic fellowship, your primary focus will be on spearheading Innovation Programs, which sit at the heart of Braven’s model and serve as the pipeline for all firm investments and/or incubations. Programs aim at uncovering extraordinary opportunities for technology to drive system innovation within Finance, Banking, Insurance, and Capital Markets. System Innovations involve the application of technology to restructure entire ecosystems, requiring the coordination of various functions and stakeholders. These initiatives are significantly more complex than unit innovations, as they must deliver enhanced functionality while aligning the interests of all participants, including customers, gatekeepers, and regulators.

This will be our second Fellowship program centered on Financial Services and Insurance, with an anticipated start date in Summer 2024 (May, June or July) for an initial 6-month contract and the potential for elite performers to join either the firm or a portfolio company at the end of the term. This opportunity allows you to join a cutting-edge early stage investment firm with proven leadership, providing a chance for career growth and advancement. Braven Fellows are seasoned professionals who are passionate about pioneering system innovations in regulated industries. Our H2 2023 Fellows generally had 4-12 years of professional experience in their specialized fields.

In this role, you will have the unique opportunity to work closely with and collaborate with other esteemed Braveneers, including Senior Partners, other outstanding Fellows, our strategic advisory board members, and founding teams.

Key Responsibilities And Accountabilities…

• Plan and execute “Innovation Programs,” involving in-depth research, analysis, and synthesis through three stages including Opportunity Exploration, Solution Design and Cobuilding Development. These insights may take various forms, including investment thesis memos, strategic business plans to incubate new companies, white papers, social media posts, etc.
• In the case that Braven invests in or incubates a company from an innovation program, you may have the opportunity to support these investments as a part of Braven's "cobuild" team, which function as internal consultants that enhance portfolio companies' strategic initiatives
• It's important to clarify that this role does not involve sourcing companies or making investment decisions. However, as the lead of your innovation programs, you'll have the opportunity to sit in on and, at times, help inform investment discussions emerging from your IPs. There also are potential opportunities (not guaranteed) to participate in discussions with advisors, as well as identify opportunities where Braven can create value-add to potential investments.
  
  

Relevant Experience To Prepare You For This Fellowship

• Experience in client-facing strategy consulting roles, particularly in industries requiring innovative systems, such as Financial Services, Banking, Capital Markets, and Insurance. Ideally, candidates will have a minimum of two years of consulting experience at renowned strategy firms (with a strong preference for Bain, McKinsey, or BCG). However, we recognize that similar skills and capabilities can be acquired through diverse career paths, and we remain open to candidates from various backgrounds.
• Previous Fellows possessed 5-15 years of professional experience in their respective fields. However, this should not discourage individuals with less than 5 or more than 15 years of experience from applying
• Possess a foundational understanding of regulated markets in Financial Services, Banking, Capital Markets, and/or Insurance.
• While expertise in all areas is not expected, the ability to conduct in-depth research and quickly grasp new concepts is crucial. We are particularly interested in candidates who can identify technology solutions and challenges and translate those to commercially viable opportunities within these sectors.
• Solid and indisputable record of high performance, characterized by achievements attained through comprehensive information gathering, incisive analysis, hypothesis formulation and rigorous testing, as well as the clear and compelling communication of recommendations, all executed with unwavering dedication.
  

To achieve this mission, we are looking for these attributes in Braveneers:

• Excels at bringing structure to ambiguity, prioritizing tasks, managing projects, and adopting a results-driven approach to work (testing, measuring, iterating)
• Delivers 10x results by applying systems thinking and data analysis to create massive scale with quality and consistency in a deliberate manner
• Possesses a growth mindset, innate curiosity, and robust problem-solving skills, continuously staying informed about emerging trends to identify potential opportunities
• Is a creative problem solver who excels at identifying trends and patterns, diagnosing root causes, and employing a diverse toolkit to address those root causes
• Leads by example, instilling a sense of energy, ownership, and personal commitment to work, while exhibiting both diplomatic and directive qualities
• Is a courageous teammate, eager to push boundaries and venture into the unknown to achieve exceptional results that others may not have the foresight or ability to envision
• Demonstrated excellence a storyteller capable of translating complex topics to varied audiences in compelling, innovative, and informative ways
• Has a high EQ, enjoys networking and building relationships with thought-leaders, researchers and practitioners in their respective fields
• Demonstrates the ability to think and operate effectively under high-stress situations.
  
  

ADVANTAGES OF WORKING AT BRAVEN

Braven Isn’t Built To Be The 3,001st US Venture Firm — We’re Built To Be The First Firm Engineered From The Ground Up To Co-build Companies Tackling What We Believe To Be The Largest And Most Important Opportunity Set Of The Next Few Decades. Our Journey Will Require Capability, Grit And Courage. We Will Push Ourselves As Much As We Will Push You. Along The Way, There Are Both Short Term And Long Term Rewards And Development Opportunities. We Also Offer The Following To Fellows

• During the Fellowship as both parties evaluate a long-term fit, we offer a monthly salary between $6,000 - $7,000/month; following the Fellowship, if you were converted into the firm or join a portfolio company you become passionate about, the salary would match the market compensation for the role you undertake including potential participation in the fund's performance through carried interest (also called “carry”- similar to equity and getting in at the ground floor of the firm) or equity in the company you joined
• Paid holidays and flexible time off as needed. This is sometimes called “Unlimited PTO”; we don’t have a set amount of days you are able to take off but rather expect you to manage your well-being by taking time off as needed while also successfully performing your role
• The opportunity to break into early stage investing / venture capital with no VC, PE or investment banking experience on the ground floor
• Coaching and mentoring, continuous education and opportunities to engage with exceptional colleagues both at Braven and in our larger community, including visionary founders harnessing technology to change the world
• Lifetime access to the Braven Fellows Community, a cohort of former Fellows
  
  

At Braven, we believe our biggest asset is our people and strive to hire the top 0.1% of candidates. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, hiring and developing individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to add to our collaborative culture. Braven treats all candidates and employees with respect and does not discriminate in our recruiting, hiring, and promoting processes, including based on race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability.